Saturn Malfoy's Room; Malfoy Manner:

Abruptly jerking awake with a forgotten name fading upon petal soft lips, a silent scream dying in his throat and utter terror rushing through heated veins, young Saturn Malfoy-Snape was forced to sit up in panicked terror. Blearily rubbing away the sleep that had gathered in the corners of tear filmed green eyes, and surveyed his surroundings with quick calculated looks. After a while Saturn tugged his bottom lip between his teeth and desperately fought to bring back control to the pain erupting through his stuttering heart. He waited with baited breath for the other metaphorical shoe to drop and completely thrust him into another veritable nightmare of hateful relatives and horrifying situations too terrifying for his young eyes to be a witness of.

He found himself hatefully blinking in rapid succession to clear the burning sting at the back of his eyelids. Cringing at the sensation of his heart strung out by a thread, his soul too tightly wound for his body and the last vestiges of a forgotten dream lay upon the back of his eyelids. Saturn laid his emotions bare. Allowing it to show through the film in his eyes and the clenching of his fists. Fighting his panicking breath, he was disgusted when it took the best part of ten minutes to so much as regain control over his unorganized thoughts.

Turning his attention to recent events, Saturn was grateful to be able to recall bits and pieces of the night before. Someone speaking to him civilly, tenderly almost, the brush of long fingers gently carding through long locks and on the fabric of his pyjamas was left behind only the lingering scent of saccharine orange blossom and heady cinnamon.

It was gentle, sweet and left him yearning for more.

In the miasma of unclear memories swirling in front of his eyes laid a raging confusion at his emotive dream, leaving a dull hollow ache in his heart and a delayed reaction to his surroundings. With a sigh and a valiant attempt at control, he found it easier to push aside his current thoughts and emotions to allow his eyes to adjust to the early morning light. They promptly rested upon a familiar room; dipped in golden sunlight there was only beauty and comfort to be found. It contained such luxury, such beautiful decadence and draped in heavy velvets, silks and expensive cotton of deep green, the floor a brilliant brown that brought out the colours of the forest, colours that he adored.

When bare feet unexpectedly touched the floor, Saturn was pleasantly surprised to find the dark wood warm and inviting beneath his feet rather than cold and desolate as he had thought it would be. His instinctively tensed shoulders relaxed a fraction as he carefully stepped across the floor without making a single sound. Coming to a rest in front of the warm hearth hissing and spitting with flames varying in shades of white, orange and azure. It was blissful peace to his stiff muscles and pained bruises, allowing for a small sigh of contentment to pass unexpectedly parted lips. Leaning towards the fire like a young sapling bending to the whimsy of the winds and the flow of nourishing water.

The scent from the fire was sweet, warm and soothing. Something he had not yet scented before but enjoyed all the same, washing over tired and trembling limbs with a medicinal touch. Saturn was truly grieved to have his attention stolen from the dancing flames by an amused chuckle caressing his sensitive hearing. It was a strangely blissful sound with breath catching in his throat when he traced the source. Dark, hooded eyes observed the tall man leaning casually against the doorframe before he abruptly averted them to the open window in search of a distraction. For in that moment he realized it came easily to him to use his long hair as a protective curtain to hide his emotions and demeanour behind it.

The opalescent golden locks long and unbound, cascaded to his hips in a neat and straight waterfall that had not a strand out of place. Strange though, for he had not even brushed it out yet or braided it in the way he remembered from his dreams. For now it remained a useful tool as a buffer to reality outside of his thoughts, forming a protective barrier against someone else wishing to invade and guess at his emotions or easily decipher the terror hidden within the depths of his eyes.

His father though, seemed amused by his reaction. Walking past the threshold in casual summer robes that cascaded around his feet like a river of silk. Long fingers beckoned him forward out of his hiding place in plain sight and Saturn obediently obeyed the call to move forward. It was an action Saturn did not dare ignore or act as if he did not see. Yet, it gave him the perfect opportunity to quietly observe the man standing before him. For the first time he actively paid attention to the man named as his Donor Father, Lucius Malfoy. He was utterly and dangerously beautiful, a man that was powerful, used to getting what he wanted but also held an innate softness and sorrow within those shining silvery eyes that it was breathtaking. It left his newly discovered son almost breathless with the affection he felt directed towards him and the acceptance in the relaxed posture standing so close to him.

Lucius Malfoy was an enigma of ageless wisdom and wonder, one he could not yet quite grasp, nor understand at first glance. It was both a comfort and also a veiled threat to his abused mind, for emotions being unable to be read opened a door for a cold disposition towards punishment and pain. Thus, it meant that whilst in his presence, Saturn had to be on his best behaviour and not step a single foot out of line. Something he was going to have trouble with but hoped that he would overcome eventually all the same.

For hidden within the layers of his anger, confusion and will of acceptance, there was just something about Lucius Malfoy that tugged and pulled inside of his soul, like a thread attaching him to the man, that persuaded him to trust, to believe and to love unconditionally. It was a strange sensation for him, one he had never felt before. Perhaps it was the bond of family that marked them now and even through his fear there was also hope.

Silent footsteps carried him towards the tall figure, halting hesitatingly before his father and gazing at his slightly curled lips and sparkling eyes of amusement through the barrier of his hair. Saturn was amazed that he had not flinching when soft fingertips pushed his hair away from his face and traced the pointed tip of his ear with easily seen affection and admiration.

"So you have finally come into your rightful inheritance." Lucius murmured, revelling momentarily at the strange sound of contentment spilling from his child's lips at the contact. Saturn on the other hand was completely drunk on the sensation, leaning further into the touch before abruptly startling and pulling away again in fright. What had possessed him to trust-.

"You are so much like Severus when he younger, little Saturn. Shy, afraid of the world and reserved to the moving of fate." Lucius Malfoy remarked sadly, distantly before retracting his gentle touch and awkwardly letting his hand fall to his side again. Instead of getting angry he merely gifted his son with a rare smile before moving to usher him out of the room in into the heart of his new home. The Lord berated himself harshly for the slip in his remark, the gentle nostalgia racing through his veins and the incessant screams of 'what if' drowning out his thought. For he knew very well that now was not the time for difficult reminiscences that would only make things more difficult later when this sweet reprieve of acceptance would be shattered by difficult questions and even more difficult answers. Answers that Lucius was not sure they could give at all for with some things they too were left in the dark.

"I thought you would be an early riser." Lucius Malfoy remarked absentmindedly. "That is why I came to check on you. Breakfast will be served in a few minutes and then Severus and I will answer all of your questions." The rumbling voice, soothing and neutral, announced at the questioning gaze in Saturn's curious eyes. His youngest son nodded politely, his thoughts once again drawing him into a world of his own as the splendour of Malfoy Manner slid past his vision without his acknowledgement. All the young woodland elf was aware of where the darkened hallways decked in silvers, greens, reds, blues and yellows and portraits, numerous portraits of his ancestors all observing him curiously as he passed by.

By the time they both stepped into the 'dining hall', Saturn was breathless with surprise when the doors swing open without a creek. The light filtering in from a large spread of windows on the far wall, looked out upon the vast spread of the estate and lighted the room perfectly with iridescence. It revealed a room that Saturn liked, offering warmth and the lingering sensation that this was a true family room. A room lighted with countless hours bathed in happiness, love and 'family'.

It was a cosy little room, smaller than Saturn thought it would be but larger than the one the Dursley's possessed and it was filled with deep and warm reds plastered on the walls, wood carefully carved and worked into place with soft cream penmanship marking tiny decorative swirls running across the walls, almost invisible in their fine threads. The same soft coloured carpet squished between his toes pleasantly. Dark tasteful wood decorated the table and chairs and by the window on the left was a small lounge where two settees and three armchairs were arranged around the hearth in a semi-circle. It was the sort of place for a father and mother to sit and read a newspaper, discuss everyday things and for the young children to play on the carpet by their feet. Never straying far from each other, and always staying close at heart with unconditional love.

How a family should be.

A pang of pain singed against his chest, not stilling when he gripped the hem of his pyjama top as a distraction. With a soft sneer hidden away from prying eyes, Saturn shuddered at the bitterness rising in his throat. He had missed out on so much growing up, and now it was most hurtful to know what he had missed, to know that it would never be corrected and it would never once be the same again. Swallowing hard against the sudden lump that formed in his throat, he quashed down the emotions overflowing within his heart before they could flicker across the surface of his eyes. Promising himself that one day someone was going to have to answer to him and it was probably not going to end well.

"Are you all right, Augustus?" Saturn jerked at the gentle touch fleetingly resting on his shoulder in an attempt to bring Saturn back to himself. Shaking his head to clear his raging thoughts and seething anger, he offered a small nod in answer before taking the seat that the Lord of the Manner pointed out to him. He was pleasantly surprised to find that in front of him was a spread of freshly picked summer fruits, warm baked bread right from the oven, and homemade butter melting across its surface. Next to the array of jams and marmalades was a pot of golden honey, its sweet scent rising from within its depths to remind Saturn that he had not eaten in more than two days. It was a wonder he was still able to stand.

"Thank you." He whispered, brushing his hair behind his ears and picking a sweet cutlet of papaya. One of his favourite fruits that he had tried at Hogwarts, loving the slight bittersweet taste as it exploded across his tongue. He looked up briefly at the weight of a stare and caught his father's eyes, an unreadable frown tugging at his lips before he seemed to shake his head to himself and turned to his own breakfast. A comfortable silence reigned for a while, one Saturn had not thought he could stand as long as he did but eventually he was squirming in his seat, surprised that three quarters of his plate was already gone and he was still picking at the grapes.

"Where is Professor Snape?" Saturn asked eventually, confusion furrowing his brow when he noticed the absence of his other father. It had been bothering him subconsciously for a while now, the emptiness of the room. Like someone very important was missing and they were waiting for baited breath for his arrival.

"He'll be here in a while, he's just finishing up some things at Hogwarts."

Saturn hated the silence, hated the tenseness that spread through his body and the thick air circulating the atmosphere the moment they had stepped through the study doors. In fact the confused Wizard did not even want to so much as think of asking questions that would only yield more confusion and fears in end. Thus he was wracking his mind for any that would not seem offensive but what he needed answers for most desperately. But most of all he found difficult ones that were grating at his soul and the quiet looks of concern and awed silence observing his every shift of clothes was driving him insane. One would swear he was to break at the lightest tap of reality, it certainly felt like it, especially now but he would fight to the death rather than admit it.

For they all knew, if something went wrong, this precarious knife edge they were balancing upon would shatter any bond that that hoped would be formed. It was difficult, for Saturn knew that once again everything was going to rest upon his shoulders. This was his quest for answers, his need to know that was driving him into the deep end and he hated it. He wished he could just stay quiet and pretend that nothing had ever happened, yet it did. Hoping to hide his sigh, Saturn did not retreat the seat offered him right away, instead his quiet footsteps followed him as he intently gazed at the shelf of books, ran experimental fingers across the spines of an ancient tomes and brushed fingernails lightly against a large wooden desk. Dark eyes restless, like a rabbit seeking an escape as a soft lullaby, one he had heard a mother sing to her beloved child in London once, was hummed beneath his breath just to fill the void the silence left behind. Silence so oppressive and thick with unspoken questions he was not quite ready to find answers to.

So for a moment longer he lingered within his ignorant bliss.

"Po- Harry, would you, for the love of Merlin, please sit down! We are not going to bite." Saturn stilled, grateful that he had not displayed his flinch outwardly. The Professor was right, he was stalling and it was not helping the level of precarious patience they were already balancing on the precipice of. Hands, previously occupied with the edge of the large desk, fell uselessly at his side before he turned towards the one that had carried him, his 'mother', and offered a resigned nod. Keeping a smile to himself for Saturn was sure Snape would kill him if he ever though the word out loud. He schooled his features with some difficulty before curling his knees close his chest in search of self comfort. The sun from outside kissed his skin in fleeting warmth as he picked at the hem of his silk pyjamas, briefly wondering where they had come from before turning his attention to his newly discovered parents at the warned clearing of a throat.

"I am not a Potter anymore, Professor. I never have been." He may have admitted the fact softly, his voice now possessing a more melodically soft and harmonious tone, was like the breath of a wind on a cold day. Yet, nestled within softness was a tone that held an earth shattering power, spell binding with its intensity and whispered scream. A whisper could be more deafening that the loudest of screams and his voice was exactly that, the crying whisper within a scream. Words that would always be taken more seriously and heeded without a single doubt, not a booming voice of control but one with carefully controlled calculation.

Forest darkened eyes briefly glanced back at the magical bookcase, there was truth to his words as well. Now that he knew the truth, being a Potter all his life meant nothing compared to heritage he had been born into and had been stolen from him. There was no need to be ashamed of his parentage, in fact he should be proud to shed the visage that the public had so carefully constructed for.

"Then what do wish to be called?" This voice, more soothing than Professor Snape's and in likeness to his own, pulled him from his silent musings. A smile of appreciation lifted the corners of his mouth in being able to avoid his rush of anger momentarily. Why did he want to run and hide, sweep into the woodland out in the estate and never come out? He'd be happier with the trees, streams and small animals as his company and yet every moment that inched by seemed to invoke the reality of their strained relationship. Would it really shatter at the wrong words or would family bonds of ages past prevail in the wake of a devastating storm of others' selfish deceit?

What amends were to be made when neither party had known of the treachery in the first place? None, his mind answered but his heart questioned.

"Just Saturn, it is my name after all. The one you gave to me." He whispered whimsically in joy, almost as an afterthought to himself he added: 'What's in a name! That which we call a rose y any other name would smell as sweet(1*). And I shall not be called by any other name, not in pretences or falsified pledges.'. Recalling the words of Shakespeare, which his cousin had thrown out so long ago, made more sense in its opposite meaning now. For now his newly discovered name meant the window into a new life and memories he had left behind unwittingly. The gentle shimmer of delighted joy lighting both silver and dark eyes brought a smile to his lips. Satisfying his frayed nerves with calm acceptance.

Over the course of breakfast and the walk to the study, Saturn had seemed to have calmed his emotions completely and even with the lingering anxiety, it was still a daunting task that lay ahead of him. Whether it was thanks to the good breakfast, or his father's presence reading the Prophet as a father should at breakfast or the gentle actions of Professor Snape ruffling his hair as he stepped through the Floo, Saturn did not care. A milestone seemed to have been reached between them and one he would hopefully cling to with inevitability. Deep down he wanted believe that they would never hurt him, but experience made him wary of all things related to relatives, parents and adults.

'Forsake thy name, little one. There is nothing but pain in Harry Potter.' Saturn started at the words whispered in his mind but made no outward indication of what he had heard. He was talking to himself again wasn't he?

"Would you lik-."

"You are not going to turn me over to Voldemort right?" The question, unbound from its reigns of tight control burst forth from his lips in a sudden flash of fear. It seemed to stun both of his parents speechless. In the shocked silence lasting several agonizing seconds, Saturn observed a scowl of exasperation and disbelief creeping across his Hogwarts Professor's features and a delightedly amused chuckle drifting most bizarrely from Lord Malfoy's lips. Saturn had averted his eyes quickly in hopes of not seeing their imminent wrath but when no blows came he turned his eyes back to them.

"H-how could you insinuate that I would offer my only son to that fu-."

"Calm yourself Severus. He meant no harm and it is a legitimate question." Lucius' appeasement ringing pleasantly through the room, calming not only the Professors wrath but Saturn brief flash of fear crawling across his skin in a droplet of cold sweat caressing his spine. The young Woodland Elf could not seem to understand why Lucius seemed too amused at his wholly insulting question. Summoning three beautiful leather bound books from the bookshelf behind the desk, Saturn watched amazed as his father fondly traced their covers before reaching across the minimal space between them to place the books by his feet.

"I am actually surprised you phrased it as a question and not made the accusation sooner." He murmured to himself almost. "And so politely too, it is a shame Draco never inherited that trait from me. Alas young Saturn, rest assured and sleep sweetly at night that not I or Severus would do such a thing, nor even think of it. There may be many things you missed out on when you were taken from us and that also ties in with understanding that where our loyalties lie are not always what they seem."

"But in answering the question you truly meant to ask, I will answer thusly. No, we will not hand you over to the Dark Lord. We will not inform him of your existence even, we will never ever doing anything that could possibly place you in danger, we will never hurt you intentionally and we will give you whatever you ask for within reason."

"I hope that offers you some consolation to know, for I will never break my word and neither will Severus. Those book at your feet are my journals for the last sixteen years, carefully kept and recorded. Read through them carefully for they explain everything you would want to know that cannot be answered here." Saturn's spine turned rigid, forest green eyes once again flickering to the outside forest in longed yearning.

"B-but the two of you are...I saw you when he... " He trailed off, not being able to complete his thoughts for he knew it was futile. Severus Snape did not even seem present, his dark eyes concentrated on something else entirely and Lucius Malfoy offered him a frown of regret he could not understand completely. It irked him, why was his father so quiet. Tears burned at the corner of his eyes, did his bearer not want him was he not good enough? What had he done wrong to deserve the crippling pain eating at his heart.

At least Lucius had curiously enough to talk to him, to have patience with his...

"Please not believe for a second that I or even Severus joined the Dark Lord willingly, or in the wild follies of our youth." Lucius' voice turned to a pained whisper. "Tell me young one, what would he possibly have to offer me what I do not already possess? I have money, endless political power, the finest lineage of Pureblood Woodland Elves in the history of the Wizarding World, and I possess our world's greatest secrets. There isn't anything more I could possibly want, for I have a beloved, two sons and a friend that stands by my side through bitter pain and joyous occasions. No, there never had been anything." Saturn sniffled softly, his hair falling over his shoulder to shield his uncertain eyes behind its veil. Why did he feel so lost? Why was it so painful to hear these things that he had known somewhere deep down all along?

The day had not yet even touched midday and he was already so emotionally exhausted and they had not even began to answer question but already everything had been said that he wanted to hear forever from ones that loved him unconditionally.

"My mother asked me to join their ranks in order to protect the Woodland Elf Council from being discovered and used to the Dark Lord's advantage. I could not just sit by and watch as so many of my kin was scooped into the darkness of war, I could not risk my home, my family and my duty."

"Woodland Elf Council?" Saturn asked quietly, he had been wondering a lot about Woodland Elves since he had been hearing the name in his dreams, his thoughts and passing fantasies.

"I will explain all of it in time, but for now. Let us get past the difficult questions first." Saturn nodded absently, turning his attention to his Potions Professor.

"Then you really are a spy Professor Snape? I am sorry if I never believed you." Saturn turned his head away in shame, he had seen the uncomfortable and defensive raise of those shoulders and the mask of 'Snape' slipping into place when he had first asked his dangerous question. He did not enjoy seeing the same old mask that had hated him so, despised his very existence and even now tore at him, for he knew deep down there was a gentler side to the Professor once he could trust. A sight he had only caught a glimpse of in the flickering memories of the night before. He did not speak but nodded, dark eyes once again resting on the basin standing on edge of the desk, something Saturn had not yet noticed or understood the significance of its appearance.

"Professor? I know this is asking a lot of you but can you tell me exactly what happened?"

"I cannot tell you for I fear that the mere mention of that night usually has me in tatters, but I can show." And for the first time Saturn noticed five vials, the same ones from the cursed black box and an extra one, filled with silvery liquid dancing inside their casing as if wishing to escape and dance upon the air. He frowned at the sight, curiously watching the Professor's actions as he poured the contents into the watery basin and motioned him forward. As Saturn looked closer he saw similarities to the ruin and Latin engraved cabinet in the Headmaster's office.

"A Pensieve?" He asked and Severus nodded. As he gripped the edges of the bowl, just before he was tugged inside he gazed up to notice both of his fathers looking at him but not moving forward to join him.

"You are not coming?" He asked, hoping to mask the disappointment in his voice.

"No, we have seen them. I do not think a single person could live through such an experience thrice." Severus answered before motioning for him to go on.

"We will wait here for you."

Lucius Malfoy's Private Study; Malfoy Manner:

Saturn groped his way through the stifling dark liquid of despair, his knees thudding heavily upon the carpet as a strangled cry left his lips in a rush of air before the dam of tears he had been attempting to hold back since leaning on Remus for support sprung forth anew within his eyes. Trailing ugly wet tracks of hatred and a new definition of utter, uncontrolled misery down flushed cheeks. His breath rasped in his lungs as he wailed in empathy, in pain, in fear and most of all in regret for all the lost times forever shattered. His mind was a reel of telling images burned forever in the back of his eyelids. Images he could never forget.

Devastation and destruction of a cosy little nursery, the crib empty and a young witch dead by its side. The pale panicked faces of his fathers as they frantically searched the cottage for their lost child, years of happiness gathering upon those walls, stained now with only grief and utter helplessness. The hollow emptiness forever a reminder of their failure to protect, cherish and love. Only an empty deafening silence that had shattered Professor Snape and built him into the vindictive and hate filled man he was today, sharpened the edges of Lucius' tongue and cold disposition to the world where warmth once resided...

He wept, wept for them all. For that was not all, no the betrayal had not stopped there...

Someone with red hair, green, green eyes appeared next with the ultimate treachery. A bearded old man presiding over the quickly arranged ceremony, and with tears in their eyes they claimed the little baby boy with golden hair like spun gold and dark, dark eyes as their own. Irrevocably changing him to what was the biggest lie the Wizarding World did not even know of. For in the distance words of spun darkness rang out in predictions, offered words of a moaned prophesy was a certifiable reason.

He had been crying for the touch of his bearer then whilst struggling in James' arms. Those dark brown eyes falsely alight with joy...

They didn't care that he was stolen. Didn't care that the hair he had come to love now was dark, ugly and unruly. That his eyes were never truthful or as depthless as they could have been. But the image that struck him the most, cried out to his heart and snapped something deep within him in a flash of internal pain and desperation was his fathers. He did not know what to do, who could he turn to for comfort? Was he truly that loved and lost all within precious few months? A heart wrenching sob tore through the empty air. Why was he so alone? Had they not said they would wait for him? Had they not...

Saturn gratefully curled into soft robes smelling of potions, spicy cinnamon and orange blossom when they tugged him closer. All that danced and flickered before his eyes was the haunting image of his bearer, so lost and broken in grief, lying helplessly limp in his donor's arms. Neither moved, neither spoke, all that was left was the bitter tears of something they knew they would never regain and with it a changing realization that left them bitter, numb to the world with no one to turn to but themselves.

Clutching the soft material between long fingers, Saturn truly cried. It did not matter that his was the man that had hated him since the first time he had seen him enter his class, nothing mattered anymore for the world was upside down, inside out and nothing was supposed to be as it was. Strangely comforted by the hand pressing his head to a warm, comforting chest where a soothing heartbeat, one he had not heard yet, rang through his ears in a gentle, lulling rhythm. A breath of air allowing for all the innate tenseness to drain from his body, leaving him without support or control over anything that rushed through the core of his magic.

"Hush now, hush. Calm yourself Saturn, my child. Your father is not going to be happy when you destroy his office with your magic." Severus hushed, quietly concerned by the books flying through the room, papers spilling to the floor and the furniture gaining a life all on their own in his son's despair. Saturn did not respond however, for left inside was only the raging fear and haunting emotions slowly ebbing away and giving way to a body heavy with regret and pain. Uncontrollable sobs did not seem to want to cease at all.

After a time though, they subsided to quiet hiccups and endless tears. Fingers brushed away the vagrant strands of hair clinging to his heated forehead, all his internal distress undoing the careful weave of intricate potions and healing spells Severus had invoked to heal him two nights before. Saturn hardly noticed though, he was just grateful that the pain reeling inside of him and egging on something outside of his consciousness stilled with the crash of books, the scrape of furniture and tug of papers all coming to a halt. It was a strange sound he could not comprehend, yet what he had lost moments before seemed to still and he regained control of whatever it was that had shattered inside of him.

Warm, safe, nostalgic and welcoming his mind supplied for him as he burrowed further into the warmth spreading across his shoulders and enveloping his body. It was home, safety, security and everything he had never had in his life, and it was bittersweet, left him wanting and satisfied all the same. Was this the tenderness of a doting, loving parent that would do everything for their child? Saturn nodded to himself, it was and there was no sweeter memory to be found in his mind.

There were no more veiled truths, no more unexpected fears. No, there was only family left and even if there was still a long path of acceptance ahead and many more differences to be solved, Saturn did not care. He had two fathers, who both claimed to love him and would never leave or hurt him. It was enough to satisfy his pain and uncertainties that clawed at his consciousness. When the tears dried up, he still did not dare move from the arms that offered him so much reassurance that salvation was in fact very real to shattered souls broken by the hatred and dark side of society.

"Saturn?" The little elf's shoulders shook but his violent sobs had seemed to die down. Gentle fingers carded through his hair, lulling him into a half slumber where no dreams dared to creep up in front of his eyes. Within the safe cocoon of his bearer's arms, he found no worry or silly thought to bother him and best of all, it no longer hurt so much, the space inside of him where he never thought it would be filled with his father's love and unexpected truths. A soothing voice was whispering comforts and little nonsensical things in his ear that made no sense but kept the dark emotions at bay in any case.

"Saturn? Are you alright? Would you like a calming draught?" Saturn shook his head, stalling the fingers already digging through the pockets of voluminous robes. Forest green eyes finally lifted from their hiding place against warm robes, glancing upwards shyly into a vibrant shade the exact colour of his. A breath of colour stained his cheeks when warm thumbs, undeterred by the sight, brushed away the stray tears that still escaped from behind long silver lashes. Saturn let out a shaky breath, an unspoken question already answered when he was pulled tighter into the embrace and once again rested his ear against the beat of a heart. Saturn himself was not entirely sure how to react but he stayed still, melted into the embrace and allowed a shaky sigh of relief to brush past his tongue.

He was loved, his father wanted him. Both his fathers wanted him. It was utter bliss.

"W-where is Father?" He asked softly, surprised at his own boldness.

"He got called away to the Ministry but do not concern yourself, he will be back in a few hours." Saturn nodded dumbly, not really listening as the implications of what he had just said rushed through his mind. Had he really called Lucius Malfoy his father out loud? Yes, he had and it mattered not for it was true.

"You won't mind i-if I call you Dad right? Or Father formally?"

"No. No Saturn I would not mind." Saturn could not understand the hitch of emotions in his father's breath but clung to the embrace tighter anyway.

'I will be in the lab on the first floor should you need me. You may go outside, the wards cover the whole estate just be careful not to wander into the forest too far.' His father's voice rang in his ears conspiratorially, as if he had known Saturn would be wandering into the forest. He has finally had the courage to step outside, now eternally thankful for the set of jeans and a long-sleeved polo shirt lying on his bed invitingly. He knew then that he could finally walk outside, travel into the woodlands that had called out to him since the moment he had seen shadows of the trees outside. It was soft bliss the moment his feet touched soft grass and good solid earth beneath his bare feet.

All the emotions he had been feeling since the moment he had awoken evaporated into smoke, leaving behind only a lingering presence of its previous existence. It left him grateful, contented and eager to feel the floor of the forest dig into the soles of his feet, roots pressing up from below the ground to tickle his skin and the soothing touch of water between his toes with the call of the small stream rushing in his ears like his excited blood. It was just as he had imagined it, the freedom breaking through his skin as his fingers traced the barks of trees and his feet expertly led him into the collection of trees.

The scent curling around his nose and breaking through his skin allowed for a small shudder of delight to grace his skin. The call of twittering birds heady in his ears and the blossoming of many, many spring flower opening at his approach instilling a calm trance like state he had not been able to achieve outside of his dreams.

It was sweet rapture.

Drop, drop, splash. He smiled, there it was...the call of the trickling stream. The same soothing sound from his dreams, one he would not soon forget. With a song on his lips and pleasant, sure steps, he walked towards the sound. How long he tracked through the damp earth tickling his toes and feet and the brushes of warm leaves against his head, Saturn could not tell but he did gape in awe when he finally reached the stream that had called to him. There was a small clearing now, lush of wild grass, briar roses and large tree trunks fading into the distance. Yet, on the other side of the small stream was a weather tempered building, a chapel once, but only two of the original walls remained. The roof was lost long ago to the passages of time, the crumbling bricks and mortar taken back to the earth from whence they came and the inside gutted by the touch of nature.

Ashes of time scattered with the skeletal remains of what once may have been viewed as the centre of eternity. Still the soul of the building stubbornly clung to last vestiges of its hidden power and structural strength. The magnificent splendour it had once been was still utterly astounding in its depilation, with briar roses clinging to cracks in wall, vines curling around ruined bricks and forgotten walls but what was within the small sheltered square of shadows at its centre drew him in. For in the afternoon light trickling in from the trees, shafts of light highlighted a gilded harp still as beautiful as the day it was made, shimmering in the afternoon sun. Around its golden frame and carefully stringed structure, was a lone tree bending white with the purest of elder flowers kissing the stings.

With his feet following his command, Saturn walked across the small stream - the water touching his bare ankles from where he had rolled up the bottom of his jeans. It was drawing him in, the harp that was in the middle of nowhere inside a dilapidating church with a stool close by its side. Like someone cared for it, that it was not as lonely as it first seemed. Heady was the scent of elderflower when he placed foot on the blessed ground. A shudder of anticipation racing through his veins as he was drawn ever deeper into the lull of calm the harp instilled within his soul.

"So alone and yet still cared for, who you plays you out here so alone?" He whispered, almost expecting an answer to be whispered back to him but only the wind caressed his ear, tugging at his long hair playfully as he seated himself on the stool. Calmly brushing of his fingers against the cool frame. The subtle sound of nature now amplified against the two wall behind him. A sigh stained his lips as he reached for his hair. Fingers instinctively braiding, twining and pinning the hair away from his eyes so that he could see and explore without it getting in his way.

'Play, do not be afraid.' That whisper in his mind urged and Saturn did, fingers caressing the strings as he plucked at one experimentally. Joy singing in his heart when a clear, untainted note resonated and danced around his ears, tickling a smile across his lips and a happy flush blossoming across his cheeks. Seeking to feel the same rapture again, Saturn pulled and plucked and ultimately granted himself with a melody he had not even known could produce. It was sweet, whispering gratitude and joy in dedication the woods surrounding him and he could feel it start breathing, living again around him. Leaves swayed with his tune, his own voice humming softly as he played for the trees and flowers, the stream and all seem to come to life. The stream gurgling happily, its depth now a sparkling brilliant white and blue with shafts of sunlight, the flowers regaining colours he had not noticed before bent their head toward the sound of the melody.

There was no discontentment, just pure enjoyment in everything around him, even the elderflowers brushed his hands in companionships as the grass wound and caressed his ankles. He did not understand how it happened but he allowed it overwhelm him all the same, for there was nothing holding him back now. Nothing left to tether him the wills of others, no he was his own master with the flowers bending to his will, the trees singing with him and the stream tugging happily in his heart. There was not a trace of sorrow in his heart, not a trace of fear, he just was. Was what he was always meant to be.

Forest green eyes looked up when a twig snapped, locking on a set of silver that were smiling in awe. His father leaned against a tree, his robes bending to whimsy of the wind as he offered a soft smile. His usually imposing figure gentler and more relaxed, at ease in the forest like Saturn had not seen him before - like he had come to the safety of his true home.

"Do not stop now, this forest has long since been too quiet without an elf's music. See how happy it is? The trees are dancing with joy, the flowers bowing at your feet. You, my son, my beloved Saturn are the woodland elf they had been waiting for, for a long time." The words were quiet but profound in what they revealed. And Saturn listened intently, not moving as Lucius Malfoy walked towards him. His fingers caressed the strings as he played the last of his tune with dancing fingers and swaying shoulders. Doing as his father bid him not out of duty but want. Leaning close to the elderflowers Lucius rested long fingers on its little white flowers and caressed their minute petals, enjoying the petal soft kisses caressing his fingertips.

Saturn was acutely aware of his father's closeness, yet neither of them moved to break the lingering comfortable silence that settled when fingers retracted from the harp and twined in his lap. Without question Saturn felt the happiness within the joy of the forest calling out to him, listening intently to his music and thanking him with little petal kisses and whispering endearments that he understood and so did his father, he seemed to sway softly as if listening to his own melody in the forest's calls.

"Just how can I play so well when I have never touched a harp before?" Saturn asked curiously, calling out to his father who seemed to have slipped into a trance like state. Those silver eyes flickered open to briefly smile at him, fingers tracing the gilded frame of the harp before stepping forward to run his fingers across soft cheeks in fatherly affection.

"It is within a Woodland Elf's nature to play, without learning, the instrument that suites them the most and return unto the forest the magic that drains away from it."

"Is that what I am? A Woodland Elf? Are you one two? W-what instrument do you play? How can I understand nature so well and talk to myself in a roundabout way?"

"You certainly are an inquisitive little elf aren't you? Definitely inherited that from my mother." Lucius chuckled fondly, running a stray hand through his hair as he leaned comfortably against the sturdy wall of the church behind him. It had been a long time since he had seen such a curious flicker of warmth spark in someone's eyes besides his mother's. It was nostalgic, joyous and comforting.

"Yes you are a Woodland Elf, a pureblood one in that your body chose to accept your creature half over your human half. Descendant from the Royal line through my mother's side. Woodland Elves are natural creatures of the forest," He recounted. "Elementals that love woodland forests the most, for their lays their original birthplace into this world. Nature talks to us through whispers, sometimes intuition and dreams as we are the gentler creatures of magic. Preferring kindness and peace to darkness and hate. Within every Woodland Elf there resides your soul, the wilder side of you, untamed by society that often appears to us as ourselves and talks to us, in rare cases, whispering in our minds as clearly as I hear you talk to me."

"As for what instrument I play, well. I was about four years old when my mother had decided to drag me back to the Woodland Kingdom and lead me through the stalls of thousands of instruments. Strangely though I was naturally drawn to the flute, curiously picked it up and have played ever since. I used to come play here many times when I was younger but as time passed and I forgot my inherent happiness, I was to leave the woodlands mourning at the loss. However, I can sense the true magic is starting to flow again. The magic that has been overrun with darkness since the first war is being cleansed once again. " Saturn took in all the information offered freely with an eager childlike fashion. Grateful for the open way in which his father to spoke to him.

"Will I meet her sometime, my grandmother?" He asked innocently.

"She died when I finished my seventh year, Saturn. But I am glad that you found her pride and joy. She would have wanted you to find her harp and led you here most likely. It is about time that music once again lighted their trees and dying flowers, flowers that danced at her feet and caressed her skin when she thought there was no one looking. Do not stop coming here, she would love to hear you play for her beloved woodland again." Saturn nodded, suddenly sobered by the news as if a deep melancholia called through the forest again.

"But I will take you to her grave when I return to the Woodlands this winter break." Saturn smiled, his feet brushing against soft ground as he turned to look at the pensive gaze directed into the distance with silver eyes shielded carefully.

"Alas, let us leave the sombre memories behind. Draco will be here tomorrow and the two of you and Narcissa will travel to Diagon Alley to collect your school things. They should be back from France by the morning, they are very eager to meet you. For now, let us go inside. I am sure there are still many things you would like to know." Saturn did not say a word, just followed after his father as they made the long journey back towards the manner house. Even though secretly there were no more questions he could think of wanting answered except about his grandmother, his father's life and his bearer's past.

"Thank you father." He whispered softly.